How it happened: Reed wins first Tour title in playoff

Patrick Reed during the final round of the 2013 Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, N.C.
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Associated Press
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By Golfweek Staff

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Jordan Spieth made a statement for a possible Presidents Cup spot, while Patrick Reed broke through for his first career PGA Tour title on Sunday at the Wyndham Championship.

Tied after Reed sputtered over the closing stretch in regulation, Reed managed to birdie the second playoff hole to defeat Spieth in yet another Tour playoff to win in Greensboro, N.C.

Here's how it all unfolded on Sunday at Sedgfield:

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PHOTOS: Wyndham Championship, PGA Tour, final round

The final chance for a win before the FedExCup playoffs begin is at stake in Sunday's final round of the 2013 Wyndham Championship – while others jockey for position in the points standings. See photos from the final round here.

• • •

Update No. 37: 4:12 p.m.

Patrick Reed finds trouble off the tee, but manages to secure birdie on the second playoff hole to win his first career PGA Tour title, keeping Spieth from his second Tour title of the season.

• • •

Update No. 36: 3:57 p.m.

Patrick Reed and Jordan Spieth trade pars at No. 18 and head to the second playoff hole, at No. 10, still tied.

• • •

Update No. 35: 3:31 p.m.

John Huh drops to T-3 at 12 under with a bogey-bogey finish, his 68 placing him alongside Brian Harman and two shots out of the playoff.

Update No. 34: 3:27 p.m.

Co-leader Patrick Reed finds the fairway on No. 18 and hits his approach to about 20 feet. If he makes, he wins; if he two-putts the green, he heads to a playoff with Jordan Spieth; if he three-putts (as he somewhat did from the fairway at 16 to create the tie) Spieth wins. Reed's first putt misses to the right, but he taps in and we're headed to a two-way playoff.

• • •

Update No. 33: 3:11 p.m.

A bad chip leads to bogey at No. 17 for John Huh, who falls from a share of the lead. As our Adam Schupak relayed from his Twitter account, @GolfweekSchupak: "Bogey for John Huh at 17 after a terrible chip. Missed 18-footer for par."

That leaves Jordan Spieth, in the clubhouse with a 65 today, and Patrick Reed, who pars No. 17, tied atop the leaderboard at 14 under with one hole to play.

• • •

Update No. 32: 3:07 p.m.

Co-leader Jordan Spieth is the first to the clubhouse at 14 under, but not without some work – Spieth missed the green short, then wedged to inside 2 feet and saved par. Co-leaders Patrick Reed and John Huh still have time to pull away.

• • •

Update No. 31: 3:03 p.m.

Andres Gonzalez finishes birdie-par to get to 10 under and T-8 for his best finish of the season.

• • •

Update No. 30: 2:57 p.m.

Matt Every bogeys the 18th to finish T-5 at 11 under, his second-best finish of the season on Tour and one that projects to push him inside the top 100 of the FedExCup points standings.

• • •

Update No. 29: 2:50 p.m.

We've got a 3-way tie for the lead again today – Jordan Spieth sinks one from inside 15 feet to birdie No. 17 and rise to 14 under, while Patrick Reed bogeys No. 16 and John Huh makes par. They're all two shots ahead of Brian Harman and Matt Every; Spieth with one hole to play, Huh and Reed with two holes to play.

• • •

Update No. 28: 2:46 p.m.

Let's look in on the five golfers among the top 25 in the Official World Golf Ranking who are playing this week:

No. 7 Brandt Snedeker: Missed cut at 1 over

No. 16 Ernie Els: T-20 at 6 under (65 today)

No. 19 Sergio Garcia: T-29 at 4 under (71 today)

No. 24 Bill Haas: T-20 at 6 under (68 today)

No. 25 Zach Johnson: T-6 at 11 under (2 under through 15 holes today)

• • •

Update No. 27: 2:41 p.m.

Leader Patrick Reed reaches the par-5 15th green in two, giving himself about a 20- to 25-footer for eagle. Reed leaves that one short but taps in for birdie to hang onto the lead – as John Huh also birdies to stay within a shot.

• • •

Update No. 26: 2:36 p.m.

Zach Johnson birdies No. 15 to move to 11 under, three back of leader Patrick Reed and T-6 with three holes to play.

• • •

Update No. 25: 2:23 p.m.

Jordan Spieth's third birdie in four holes lifts him to 13 under, T-2 alongside John Huh and a shot back of leader Patrick Reed – who has parred five straight.

• • •

Update No. 24: 2:16 p.m.

Matt Every birdies No. 15 and follows with a par to climb to T-3 at 12 under. With two holes to play, the former Florida Gator looks to improve on his T-4 finish at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial in May.

• • •

Update No. 23: 2:02 p.m.

Matt Jones finishes with pars at Nos. 17-18 for a 29 on the back and a 62 that has him T-5 at 11 under as he heads in. Jones, an Arizona State product from Australia, finished T-2 at last month's Greenbrier Classic. This week he opened with a 65 and followed with a pair of 1-over 71s.

Webb Simpson isn't far behind Jones for round-of-the-day honors with a 63 that moves him to T-11 at 9 under, with the leaders on the back nine.

• • •

Update No. 22: 1:43 p.m.

John Huh cuts the lead to a stroke, his birdie at No. 12 giving him a boost to 13 under as leader Patrick Reed pars the hole.

Update No. 21: 1:32 p.m.

Jordan Spieth birdies No. 12 and Matt Every birdies No. 13 as they rise to 11 under, good for T-4 alongside Zach Johnson and Matt Jones.

• • •

Update No. 20: 1:21 p.m.

Ernie Els posts back-to-back birdies at Nos. 5-6 and follows with a par; he's T-18 at 6 under with two holes to play. Els is a lock to qualify for The Barclays next week and projects to climb four spots in the FedExCup points standings, still needing work to get inside the top 70 and make it to the third round of the playoffs.

• • •

Update No. 19: 1:14 p.m.

Brian Harman and John Huh close the lead to two shots with birdies at Nos. 12 and 10, respectively. Leader Patrick Reed pars No. 10 to remain 14 under.

• • •

Update No. 18: 1:01 p.m.

There's now a four-way tie for second as Matt Jones' fifth straight birdie comes at No. 16 to push him to 11 under, alongside Brian Harman, John Huh and Zach Johnson; the foursome is three shots back of Patrick Reed.

• • •

Update No. 17: 12:53 p.m.

Leader Patrick Reed hits his approach at the par-4 No. 9 hole to about 5 feet, then sinks his putt to stretch his margin to three shots as he makes the turn.

John Huh also birdies No. 9 to rise to T-2 at 11 under, his second birdie of the round getting him to 1 under for the day.

• • •

Update No. 17: 12:42 p.m.

Jordan Spieth moves to T-4 at 10 under with a birdie at No. 8 and a par as he makes the turn. Matt Every, Robert Garrigus and third-round co-leader John Huh also are on that mark, three back of leader Patrick Reed and one back of Brian Harman and Zach Johnson.

• • •

Update No. 16: 12:23 p.m.

At the seventh hole, Patrick Reed's third straight birdie carries him to 13 under, two shots clear of Brian Harman and Zach Johnson.

• • •

Update No. 15: 12:12 p.m.

Patrick Reed takes the lead outright again with a birdie at No. 6 to move to 12 under, one shot ahead of Brian Harman – and Zach Johnson as well, as he also birdies No. 6 for his third in four holes.

• • •

Update No. 14: 12:07 p.m.

Bob Estes and Robert Garrigus birdie No. 6 to join the pack at 10 under. They're among five players on that mark and just a shot back of co-leaders Brian Harman and Patrick Reed – and among 10 players within three shots of the co-leaders.

Sergio Garcia birdies for the second time in three holes to move to T-15 at 6 under.

• • •

Update No. 13: 12:01 p.m.

Patrick Reed climbs back into a share of the lead with a birdie at No. 5 to move to 11 under alongside Brian Harman. Reed is looking to bounce back from a 1-over 71 Saturday.

Webb Simpson cards back-to-back birdies at Nos. 13-14 to rise within three shots of the lead with four holes to play. Simpson is 6 under for the round, T-10 at 8 under.

• • •

Update No. 12: 11:51 a.m.

Defending champion Sergio Garcia remains stuck in neutral since his opening-round 65 had him a shot back of the lead. Looking to improve on second and third rounds of even par, Garcia is even par through seven holes today.

Ernie Els birdies at No. 3 to get his round to 3 under, climbing to T-24 at 4 under with six holes to play.

• • •

Update No. 11: 11:44 a.m.

Brian Harman birdies at No. 6, his third in four holes, to take the lead outright by a shot over Matt Every, John Huh, Zach Johnson and Patrick Reed. Harman, who played collegiately at Georgia, finished T-10 at the Wells Fargo Championship in nearby Charlotte in May.

• • •

Update No. 10: 11:37 a.m.

Brian Harman makes it a fivesome in the lead, as a birdie at No. 5 pushes him to 10 under alongside co-leaders Matt Every, John Huh, Zach Johnson and Patrick Reed.

• • •

Update No. 9: 11:24 a.m.

Zach Johnson joins the lead at 10 under with a birdie at No. 4 pulling him alongside co-leaders Matt Every, John Huh and Patrick Reed. Johnson has been consistent this week, with rounds of 67-68-66 to stay in the mix.

• • •

Update No. 8: 11:11 a.m.

Jordan Spieth birdies No. 4, hitting his approach to about 10 feet and sinking his putt. That gets him back to even par for the day, one shot back of co-leaders Matt Every, John Huh and Patrick Reed. Spieth is T-4 alongside Bob Estes, Brian Harman and Zach Johnson.

• • •

Update No. 7: 10:53 a.m.

A bogey at No. 2 for John Huh moves him back into a share of the lead with Patrick Reed – and Matt Every, who joins the fray at 10 under with a birdie at No. 4. Bob Estes and Brian Harman are a shot back.

• • •

Update No. 6: 10:45 a.m.

Matt Every and Brian Harman birdie No. 3 as both climb to T-3 at 9 under alongside Bob Estes and Zach Johnson, two shots back of leader John Huh.

• • •

Update No. 5: 10:38 a.m.

John Huh opens his day with a birdie at the first hole to take the lead outright at 11 under, quickly pulling ahead of third-round co-leader Patrick Reed. Huh, a UC-Northridge product, is seeking his first win since the Mayakoba Golf Classic in February 2012.

• • •

Update No. 4: 10:34 a.m.

Fighting for FedExCup position, Ernie Els has rebounded from a bogey at No. 12 with three birdies in four holes to get to T-31 at 3 under for the week. Els started the week 86th in points.

• • •

Update No. 3: 10:25 a.m.

Jordan Spieth bogeys the first hole of his day to slip to 8 under, two shots back of co-leaders Patrick Reed and John Huh. Spieth, a Texas product, opened with rounds of 65-66 before shooting even par Saturday.

• • •

Update No. 2: 10:18 a.m.

Webb Simpson eagles No. 8 to climb to 5 under on his front nine; for the week, he stands ninth at 7 under. Simpson, who played for nearby Wake Forest, finished second at the RBC Heritage in April when Graeme McDowell won a playoff.

• • •

Update No. 1: 10:10 a.m.

With the one-hour rain delay this morning, the top 10 players on the leaderboard are just getting their round started. Jim Herman starts his day with a birdie and follows with a par to climb to T-9 at 6 under along Brendan Steele. Steven Bowditch and Paul Haley II birdie No. 15 to rise to 2 under for their round midway through their front nine; they're T-27 at 3 under.

• • •

Early risers

Ryo Ishikawa and Webb Simpson are 3 under through seven and six holes, respectively. Both are among nine golfers T-11 at 5 under as is Henrik Norlander, who is 2 under through four holes.

• • •

Slow starters

Brendon de Jonge, Tom Gillis and Charlie Wi are 2 over during their front nines. de Jonge and Wi are T-50 at even par through seven and six holes respectively, while Gillis is T-66 at 2 over.

• • •

Weather conditions

The final round already has encountered a one-hour rain delay. Dry conditions are expected during the next six hours, according to weather.com, with temps reaching the mid 70s amid light winds.

• • •

Saturday coverage

On a rainy, dreary day when the greens remained lightning fast at Sedgefield Country Club, John Huh weathered the kind of jittery passage from which most golfers never recover, and he leads along with Patrick Reed entering Sunday.

Rainy conditions dominated the third round of the Wyndham Championship, but despite a weather delay earlier in the morning, the round was completed Saturday in Greensboro, and John Huh and Patrick Reed lead.

• • •

Friday coverage

Following an opening-round 65 by posting a 64 is a strong way to open a tournament. It's given Patrick Reed the Wyndham Championship lead by a shot over John Huh and his second-round 62 in Greensboro, N.C. – while players including Ernie Els jockey for valuable FedExCup points with the playoffs up next.

Is it better to be consistent or good? Patrick Reed has been both during the first two rounds of the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, N.C., with rounds of 65-64 giving him the lead heading into the weekend. John Huh is just a shot back, his Friday 62 making most of the impact as he moved into second at 10 under, with Jordan Spieth another shot back.

A five-man panel will now select future Ryder Cup captains rather than the 15-man tournament committee, the European Tour announced today. The system will be in place in time for the 2016 match. The new panel will comprise the three previous Ryder Cup captains – Paul McGinley, Jose Maria Olazabal and Colin Montgomerie – European Tour chief executive George O’Grady and one member to be nominated by the committee.

• • •

Thursday coverage

Ross Fisher and Chris Stroud took different routes to opening-round 6-under 64s on Thursday at the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, N.C. Fisher made four birdies, an eagle and no bogeys while Stroud needed eight birdies to offset two bogeys, nine missed fairways and seven missed greens.

Ross Fisher, who holds a share of the first-round lead, entered this week at No. 162 in the FedEx Cup standings. With a win, he’s projected to move up to No. 56. Trevor Immelman, who is tied for third at 5 under, is projected at No. 126 after the first round. Here’s a look at the how some other players on the bubble fared Thursday at Sedgefield Country Club.

There is plenty of star power at this week's Wyndham Championship, from defending champion Sergio Garcia to two-time 2013 winner Brandt Snedeker to 2012 U.S. Open champ Webb Simpson. Chris Stroud posted an early 64 to take the lead in the morning, while Ross Fisher caught him in the afternoon. But eight golfers are just a shot back.

Lucas Glover entered the week at No. 99 in the FedEx Cup standings, so a good finish in the Wyndham Championship would help ensure the Clemson product of at least two playoff starts. So despite a broken middle toe in his right foot, Glover was determined to play in the regular-season finale.

• • •

Pre-tournament coverage

Chuck Cook has coached players to seven major championship victories -- including Jason Dufner's last week at the PGA Championship. Yet, his name isn't on the tip of your tongue when you think of the game's best coaches -- but it should be.

The FedExCup points bubble and Grand Slam of Golf roster have Padraig Harrington's itinerary up in the air; Oak Hill produced scoring oddities, including for Miguel Angel Jimenez; plus more in our PGA Tour notebook.

Ernie Els, Padraig Harrington and Geoff Ogilvy are among those committing late to this week's Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, N.C., looking to shore up their spots in the FedExCup's first event, the Barclays.

The 2014 PGA Tour season was highlighted with breakout performances, cash grabs and a top player who filed on all cylinders. The lowlights were plentiful, too. Jim McCabe presents 10 of the most notable moments.

PGA top 10: McIlroy and the breakout players

Rory McIlroy won PGA Tour player of the year honors for the second time in three years.
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Associated Press
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Given Keegan Bradley's rousing golf success, it could be assumed that he provides the family a focal point around which to can rally a passion for golf. The Bradleys, however, are a family with deep golf roots.

Jordan Spieth is looking to close out his third professional victory Sunday at Isleworth. But the 21-year-old, who turned pro halfway through his sophomore year at the University of Texas in 2012, said Saturday that he still misses being a college student.

World Challenge leader Jordan Spieth: 'I miss school'

Jordan Spieth during the second round of the Hero World Challenge Friday at Isleworth Golf and Country Club in Windermere, Fla.
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Associated Press
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